The invention relates to amusement devices, including rolling ball games. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for providing dynamic delivery of tangible game rewards in the form of game tokens for a coin-operated amusement device. The invention also relates to a system for providing deferred game rewards in an amusement device.
As competition in the field of amusement devices increases, so does the effort to enhance the appeal of particular games to the general public and to evoke player interest. Game appeal depends, in part, on the degree of interaction between the game and the player, and on the rewards associated with the successful achievement of game objectives. There is an ongoing effort to increase the interaction between the player and the game and to develop new rewards for skillful game play. This effort is especially pronounced in the pinball or rolling ball game industry. Numerous attempts have been made to provide rolling ball games with new and exciting interactive and rewarding features designed to increase player appeal.
It is known in the art to provide rewards, both intangible and tangible, to game players for skillful play. Intangible game rewards often take the form of bonus plays, additional points, or increased activity on the game playfield. Tangible rewards to the game player may be provided in the form of placards, For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,137,278 and 5,149,093 to Schilling et al. disclose a trading card dispenser for a rolling ball game. Players are rewarded with trading cards for skillful game play and achievement of predetermined game objectives. These reward features, however, provide limited additional game appeal. inasmuch as the action involved in card delivery is rather unexciting. Moreover, rewards such as trading cards, i.e. baseball cards, are not redeemable for rewards provided by the game itself. Hence, such rewards provide only a limited incentive for the player to return to play the game, especially after all of the cards have been collected by that player.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a reward system that is capable of delivering tangible game rewards in an exciting fashion. It is a further object of the invention to provide a reward system that interacts with the amusement device and with the player during game play. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a reward system that provides players with the opportunity to save tangible rewards and to redeem them for game play or special game features at another time. These and other objects will become apparent to those of ordinary skill from the detailed description provided below.